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June 30, 2010 BEST OF BEER

Beer has its own culture, its quirks still survive. And many thrive, though it The days of grimy and darkened public and peculiarities, its slang and slogans. would be foolish to ignore the fact that houses, where the only woman to see was We drink beer in the pub, though we some also struggle. The vast majority of the barmaid, are receding into memory. may also call it the local or the boozer, them remain hubs of their community, Families are also welcome, though some- Life and beer when it may be a rural inn, gastro-pub whether a thatched local in the middle times this may be more contentious. and even a theme bar. Tradition decrees of the countryside or a corner house on Beers change as well: golden ales, with culture Beer is an important part of many lives, not that a “pint of the best” is the lingua the edge of town where quizzes, darts ripe fruit and a sprightly bite, attract both franca. Handle or straight, jug or sleeve, and the odd music night liven things up. sexes, while the range of lagers available is just its thirst-quenching taste but as a social glue half, pint or third: we get a choice of This is the place where beer is drunk enough to suit any palate. binding together communities centred on the local glass and of how much beer we want. in company and in moderation, with And if a beer at home attracts instead, Your shout, my round, in the chair. friends and strangers all getting on. in the garden after grass-cutting or curled pub. Adrian Tierney-Jones reports Even though Lloyd George did his The British pub is also at the cor- up in an armchair with book in hand, best to vanquish the round during nerstone of our democracy, the place then there is a marvellous range of beers World War 1 for fear that drinking where dustman and duke, banker and to choose from. There are hundreds of eer runs through our daily nature of beer when he allowed his team was interfering with the war effort – barrow-boy can meet on equal terms. breweries, of all shapes and sizes, pump- lives with the cast-iron cer- a glass the night before they won their though, given the ferocity of the times, It is not for nothing that one of ing out bitters, golden ales, milds, stouts, tainty of a river making its World Cup game against Slovenia. How- a beer was a necessary tonic – it still the first things many of our serv- porters, India Pale Ales and beers fla- way to the sea. Celebrations, a ever, the England footballers must have remains as a constant thread looping ing men and women do on coming voured with chocolate, coffee and spices. Bwinning goal, a new job all call for a glass been suffering a hangover during their through our beer culture. It is a re- home is pop down the pub: stand Whether it is the rich seam of real of the freshest beer to toast success. Com- subsequent heavy defeat to Germany. minder of the sociability and neigh- them a beer for they are heroes. ale to be found at the multitude of miserations, a dropped catch, being on But beer is no longer the almost ex- bourliness of popping down the pub. The pub has also changed in many Anchors, King’s Heads, Brewery the losing side, then take a glass of ale to clusive domain of men. Increasingly Pubs may be under the hammer with ways. Once the preserve of men, an all- Taps or Royal Oaks, or something contemplate how to do better next time. women are tuning in, not only to foot- newspaper headlines pointing the finger male club – though women could or- interesting and innovative at home, Even though he hails from the land of ball, cricket and other traditionally at binge drinkers and organisations is- der a port and lemon in the snug – the our nation’s drink echoes the words wine, England’s manager Fabio Capello male-dominated pastimes, but also to suing dire forecasts for the future of this past few decades have seen pubs mir- of an old Brewers’ Society poster knew all about the restorative and relaxing taking a glass of beer. uniquely British institution, but they ror society in becoming more inclusive. from the 1950s: Beer is best.

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BEST OF BEER 3

INSIDE 4 Beer’s natural alchemy What goes into the perfect pint and Cheers for thriller beers how is it made?

5 History of beer styles Know your lagers, ales, stouts and porters nically an ale. While ale is much been aged to give a whole truckload The builders of Stonehenge would smaller than lager, there is much of flavour complexity; no one says to open up a whole new array of tastes. Expert more diversity within it. you have to drink the stuff in pints undoubtedly have enjoyed beer after Pete Brown runs through the many different and these can rival sherry or port as a hard day’s toil Here is a rough an after-dinner digestif styles of beer which are waiting to be discovered rundown: Wheat beer – substituting some 6 Gastronomic delights Pale ale – does what it says, cover- of the barley for wheat gives a Chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Rick ing a broad range from light sum- blonde (usually) naturally hazy Stein have designed beers for dishes he late, great Michael hear people talking about “beers mer ales that are almost the same beer; often has spices added and Jackson (not the singer, and lagers”, but lager is beer, just colour as lager, but with a bit more ranges from banoffee to Asian- 8 World Cup cheers the other one, who in- like ale.) The technical difference personality, through to heady, aro- style lemongrass and lime notes vented modern beer writ- between the two is all about the matic India Pale Ales in its delivery A league table of the biggest ing)T had a routine when people type of yeast they use and how Bitter – the workhorse of the ale Fruit beer – a good cherry or drinkers and the best beers for told him they “didn’t like” beer. long they take to brew. world, usually mid-brown, mod- raspberry beer is a long way from watching football He would adopt an expression of Lager accounts for 90 per erate strength, it is all about the a syrupy alcopop; the sweetness shocked concern and say, “What, cent of the beer in the world. perfect balance of citrus or floral balances with tartness from real 10 Women and beer none of them? How many did you Golden pilsner lager was created aromas, caramel and biscuit on the fruit for a wonderfully refreshing More and more women are turning try before you gave up?” in Czechoslovakia in 1842 and palate, with a dry finish summer beer on to a glass of something special 12 Business of beer Lining up to please the Pubs and breweries can survive the palate slump 13 Crafty and micro Britain is part of a global revolution in craft brewing as real ale is cool again 13 Pulling a pint Good beer needs careful handling from cellar to seller 14 Celebrity landlords Stars running pubs come out to cheer the punters 15 Shape of beer to come Quality not quantity may be the future in the crystal ball of brewing

Editor Peter Archer

Contributors Peter Archer, Richard Brass, Pete Brown, Kamini Dickie, Stephanie Hirschmiller, Nick Louth, Ben MacFarland, Adrian Tierney-Jones

Publisher

Henrik Kanekrans © beergenie.co.uk

Production manager Fabiana Abreu If you thought beer was a sim- a good one is rather wonder- ple choice between cold, fizzy la- ful: pale and refreshing and best If you thought beer was a simple Design ger and warm, flat real ale – oh served chilled, but with a spicy, Hervé Boinay yeah, with the odd pint of Guin- grassy aroma, a gentle sweetness choice between cold, fizzy lager ness – then you are in for a bit of on the palate and a buzzy dryness Published in association with a shock. What Michael was get- at the finish. It spread rapidly to and warm, flat real ale, then you are ting at is that there are myriad become the world’s favourite beer. For more information about Raconteur Media different styles of beer around But it takes time to brew well; la- in for a bit of a shock publications in The Times and The Sunday the world, with large groups, ger comes from the German word Times, please contact Freddie Ossberg sun-genres, hybrids and con- for “store” and the beer should be T: 020 7033 2100 E: [email protected] stant mutations. cellared for four weeks. Porter and stout – a richer, darker Strong Belgian beer styles – Dub- W: www.raconteurmedia.co.uk The judges at the Great Ameri- As well as pilsners there are dark roasting of the malt (beer’s main build- bels, Tripels, Abbey beers and Trap- twitter.com/raconteurmedia can Beer Festival divide beers into lagers, Viennese red lagers and pale ing block) leads to fuller chocolaty, cof- pist beers; some are like English over seventy different categories. German-style lagers that are drier fee, sometimes even vinous flavours barley wines, others are like noth- The information contained in this publication Obviously they are insane, but than pilsner. Mild – dark, like porter and stout, ing else you have ever tasted. has been obtained from sources the proprietors the only way you would convince Then there is ale: misunder- but usually low in alcohol, full of And if that does not make you believe to be correct. However, no legal liability them of this is to pretend there stood and much maligned, until mocha flavours while managing to thirsty, Michael Jackson is up can be accepted for any errors. No part of this are even more. the recent global craft-brewing stay light and refreshing there somewhere looking down publication may be reproduced without the prior It does start with a division into boom. Stout, often considered a Old ale and barley wine – strong on you, with an expression of se- consent of the Publisher. © RACONTEUR MEDIA ales and lagers. (You sometimes third type of beer, is in fact tech- beers (above 7 per cent) that have rious concern. 4 BEST OF BEER

are added earlier on for their bit- tering qualities; others such as Beer is big business Goldings or First Gold go in later, giving fruity, zesty, spicy charac- Beer’s natural ter to the nose. n Britain’s 25 million beer drinkers sustain some 400,000 jobs in Roger Ryman, award-winning the pub and brewing industry. head brewer at Cornwall’s St Austell n According to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), this Brewery, keeps close links with the generates a retail sales value of more than £18 billion a year. hop growers whose skills and dedi- n There are 650 breweries, including 600 micro-breweries, and alchemy cation have helped to add lustre to 200,000 licensed premises. his prize-winning beers. n The range of beers on offer totals almost 3,000, brewed in the UK and imported from abroad. brewing The brewing process has been refined ORIGINS n In addition, beer is a major export as nearly 2.5 million pints “It’s important to have a good re- of British beer drunk every day overseas. and its secrets passed from brewer to brewer over lationship with your hop grower n “Of course, beer’s popularity at home and abroad is also very the years. Adrian Tierney-Jones discovers what and merchant,” he says. “I visit healthy for the British economy, with the brewing industry con- them in September, one of the tributing nearly £6 billion a year in VAT and duty on beer sales,” goes into the perfect pint nicest times in the brewing cal- says the Beer Academy. endar. Hop farms are in attractive n Sport, in particular, benefits from beer sponsorship, notably areas such as Herefordshire and football, rugby, tennis and golf. The brewing industry invests eer begins in a field of water and many brewers moved Worcestershire or further afield around £38 million annually in sports and music-related events. barley, a carpet of golden there. By the late- 19th century, in Slovenia and the United States. n Latest figures from the BBPA show that a typical pint of lager grain, swaying in the brewers had learnt that they could Hop-growers are usually very nice costs £2.95 and a typical pint of bitter £2.58. breeze and ripening in the add various salts to replicate this people, and close to the soil and n British consumption of alcohol per head remains in the mid- Bsun, its ultimate destination the glass famous liquor. The process is the earth. They live the agricul- range compared with our European neighbours. Britons drink in the hand of the happy drinker. called Burtonisation and contin- tural year. People forget the agri- less than the French, Germans, and Spaniards, with the Czechs This is a journey that starts with ues today – the main salts involved cultural origins of beer, that it is drinking the most per head, at 21.8 pints (12.4 litres) of alcohol, the harvest, after which the barley is are gypsum (calcium sulphate) dependent on a year’s harvest. We compared with the UK’s 14.3 pints (8.1 litres). taken to a maltings. Here the seeds and Epsom salts (magnesium sul- talk about wine vintages, but hops are soaked in water, allowed to part phate). Soft water is usually good also vary from year to year.” germinate – producing enzymes for stouts and lagers, whereas hard After the hopped boil, the beer is plained how yeast worked, brew- Ales use top or warm-fermenting that will transform starch to soluble water is good for bitter, mild and pumped through a cooling system ers nicknamed it “goddisgoode” yeast, while lagers are fermented in sugars – and then kiln-dried, ready India Pale Ale (IPA). to fermenting vessels. Now is the as they could only turn to the Al- colder conditions and then ma- for use by the brewer. The next stage in the alchemi- time when the fourth ingredient mighty for an explanation of why tured, or “lagered”, for anything up At the brewery, malted barley is cal process of brewing is the boil- of beer is added: yeast, a single- beer became so potent. to three months. Real ales usually ground in a mill to form the grist ing of the wort, which is when the cell fungus plant that kick-starts “The yeast strains we use are receive five to seven days’ fermen- and then steeped – or mashed – in third ingredient is added. This is fermentation and transforms malt of pivotal importance to the in- tation before being racked into hot water for up to two hours. It is a the hop, a plant grown in its his- sugars into alcohol and carbon dividual character of each of our nine-gallon casks, or firkins, where process that brings forth a copper- torical heartlands of Kent, Her- dioxide. Until Louis Pasteur ex- beers,” explains Greene King’s secondary fermentation will take coloured liquid called the wort, eford and Worcestershire. Hops head brewer John Bexon. “Yeast is place in the pub cellar; “smooth” intensely sweet to taste. The wort act as a bitter and fruity coun- a live product that reproduces dur- ales are pasteurised and filtered is rich in sugars, upon which yeast terbalance to the sweetness of the ing each brew and is handed down before kegging. When the landlord will ultimately feed, changing them malt; they also act as a preserva- People forget the from one generation of brewers perceives the time is right, the beer into alcohol and carbon dioxide. tive in beer. Hops yield resins and to another. The DNA of the yeast is ready: a healthy, natural wine of Malted barley also provides colour oils, with resins producing bit- agricultural origins of strains that we use for Greene King our country. Cheers. for beer, with darker malts used for terness and hop oils bestowing IPA and Abbot Ale today will be porters and stouts. Naturally, the flavour and aroma. Brewers se- beer, that it is dependent almost identical to those used by Adrian Tierney-Jones is editor brewer is conscientious about get- lect different hop varieties. Some Benjamin Greene when he started of 1001 Beers You Must Try ting the best malt. such as Challenger and Fuggles on a year’s harvest the brewery in 1799.” Before You Die “The first thing we specify is that all our barley be grown and malted in East Anglia,” says Fergus Fitzger- Brewing is ald, head brewer at Suffolk family a balanced firm Adnams. “This is very easy for mixture of art our maltsters to fulfil as so much and science malting barley is grown here in the bread basket of England. Using East Anglia barley keeps food miles down, allows us to get to know many of the growers and, to para- phrase another beer strap line, it’s ‘probably’ the best malting barley in the world.

FLAVOUR “We want our barley to be free of moulds, have enough protein for the yeast, as much starch as possi- ble, plus enough enzymes to convert that starch into sugar. On the flavour side we want sweetness, dryness, a light touch or complexity, to be the background flavour in some and all encompassing in others. We also want body and mouth-feel.” The creation of the wort in- volves another essential natural ingredient: water or liquor as it is called by brewers. Needless to say, a particular quality of liquor is essential for making good beer. Burton-on-Trent became a brew- ing centre for ales because of the quality of its hard, mineral-rich BEST OF BEER 5

Beer fuelled lution allowed the better brewers to the Industrial work on a bigger, commercial scale. The brewer’s tale Revolution Beer fuelled that revolution, with brewers being among the first to use steam power, investing in trans- history Just how long ago was beer first made? came “public houses”, port links and pioneering microbi- community centres ology to better understand that mi- And was it a merry mistake? Pete Brown traces the where people did raculous but often infuriating yeast. cloudy origins of the nation’s number–one tipple business or just passed In the late-Victorian era, by any the time of day. measure, brewing was Britain’s The monasteries second biggest industry to cotton. ho says miracles istence and settling down in stable made brewing more That this is almost never men- never happen? If you farming communities in the first scientific and larger tioned in textbooks on the period is were to harvest some place. Evidence of brewing happen- in scale, and beer be- the lasting achievement of the Tem- grain, such as barley, ing deliberately now stretches back came part of everyday perance Movement, which almost Wand store it in something, like a clay as far as 7000BC. life. As cities grew, succeeded in introducing prohibi- pot, and if that barley were to get The Sumerians and then the weak beer was a vital tion during the First World War. damp and germinate, the liquid in Egyptians were the first to re- source of fluid when But in World War II, beer was the jar would turn into beer. ally celebrate it and produce it water would have giv- recognised as our saviour. It was That is because yeast is in the air on a commercial scale, a mere en you dysentery. Beer never rationed and Prime Minister all around us and it just loves sug- 5,000 years ago. They began add- was sterile, thanks Winston Churchill mandated that ar, which it can find, among other ing herbs and other flavourings to being boiled in its every single fighting man must get places, in germinating barley. When to the porridgey mush, which production, and alco- his allocated eight pints a week, no it eats that sugar, it creates alcohol they drank through long straws. hol is a natural disin- matter where in the world he was; a and carbon dioxide, two of the Beer was already waiting for the fectant, so newborn command that resulted in the spec- components – along with the bar- Romans when they arrived in babies were washed in tacle of Spitfires flying into - Nor ley itself – of beer. northern Europe and became our it. As a nation, Britain mandy on D-Day with beer barrels No one knows when this happy national drink around AD400, was baptised in beer. strapped under their wings. accident was first discovered but, when the Anglo-Saxons colonised Strong beers were We still drink more beer than any given the simplicity of it, it is rea- Britain. It has remained our most served at weddings other alcoholic drink. It has had its sonable to assume that it was a popular beverage ever since. and sold to passers-by detractors of late, but when George long time ago, in various loca- Brewing was part of every house- to pay for the festivi- III proclaimed, “Beer and beef tions around the world. Basically, hold’s activites, like baking bread. ties, and weak beer was have made us what we are,” he was it would have started occurring not The earliest pubs, or alehouses, were served in schools and boasting, not complaining. And I’ll long after we first grew grain and private homes belonging to people workhouses, a vital source of vitamins drink to that. stored it in pots. In other words, who brewed better beer than their and nutrients for those on poor diets. beer is as old as civilisation itself, neighbours. Something about beer As a nation, Britain After the Dissolution of the Mon- Pete Brown is the author of Man and may have even been the mo- meant customers lingered over the asteries, most pubs brewed their Walks Into A Pub: A Sociable tivation for ceasing a nomadic ex- transaction and these homes be- was baptised in beer own beer until the Industrial Revo- History of Beer

Typical, you wait ages for a great tasting alcohol free beer ...and then two come along

www.bavaria.com/uk 6 BEST OF BEER Food for thought cuisine Gastronomic snobbery or plain ignorance Basic rules of pairing too often bars beer from the dining table. beer with food Match intensity of flavour Ben MacFarland calls time on wine’s one-time Strength and intensity of flavour monopoly and says beer is back on the menu are crucial. Do not partner a big, muscular beer with a light dish. A heavy stout is going to overwhelm a f you love food but only eat emitting foods shoot wine down in chicken salad, while a lightly hopped it with wine, you are denying flames, beers, such as a robust India pilsner is going get lost in the full- your taste buds a gastronomic Pale Ale (IPA) and brusquely bitter on textures and tastes of roast duck delight. It is like being a foot- pilsners, have the fire-fighting bit- or lamb. A good initial approach, Iballer who only uses his right foot, terness and fat-lifting carbonation although not without its exception a novelist who does not believe in to rescue and revive flavours from to the rule, is to think of dark ale as vowels or a violinist who only plays the overpowering inferno. red wine and lighter lager and wheat half the strings. Irish stouts and porters envelop beers as white wines. They have sim- A bon vivant who shuns beer is, the acidity of oysters and seafood ilar parallel characteristics. strictly, just a vivant and one who in a dark, roasty and toasty cloak; Challenge perceptions is scoffing at the dinner table of de- peaty rauchbiers smoulder with Keep an open mind at all times and nial. Do not get me wrong, wine is smoked cheese and meats, while wit do not be led by cliché or tradition. great and it works wonderfully with beers woo salads and herb-encrust- Lager, for example, is not the only a whole host of dishes and flavours, ed fish with their spicy citrus charm companion to curry as it may merely but certainly not all of them and not and tempered tartness. fan the flames. An IPA, high in hop- always the ones you would expect. Herbal, spicy German weiss biers piness and big in bitterness, will fight There is no room for monogamy chase succulent roast chicken down them and is much better equipped if you are an enlightened imbiber. with zest and wide-eyed zeal; fruit to deal with the spices. Matching like You need to dip your toe into dif- beers are a fine, faithful friend to with like is not always the way to go. ferent, often more discerning, chocolate, foie gras and duck, while Fruit beers with fruit desserts are sim- drinking waters, be promiscuous British best bitters are, by divine ply too sweet and fruity, while choco- and play around a bit, experiment appointment, betrothed to battered late beers with chocolate are too choc- and experience new pairings; em- fish and chips, succulent pork pies, olaty. Swap these two around though brace beer in all its gastronomic bangers and mash and a plough- and you have some taste sensations. glory and guises. You never know, man’s lunch, (try and serve wine to Complement, cut or contrast you may just like it. a ploughman and you will find his Try and achieve one of these three If you are unsure, then sim- fork somewhere painful). “Cs”. Cut through and cleanse the ply check out the chefs. In the If you are looking for something palate with a beer that frees your last few years, Gordon Ramsay, to pleasant your pheasant or cheer taste buds of a certain flavour – be Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, up some deer, then the spicy, herbal it chocolate, salt, chilli – so that you Rick Stein and even Ferran Adria, biere de garde has certainly got can enjoy the next bite of your meal of El Bulli in Spain, have all de- game; fruit beers go with chocolate as well as the previous one. A gold- signed beers that dovetail deli- desserts; chocolate beer goes with en ale with a juicy burger is a good ciously with their dishes. Brewer- fruity desserts and, of course, beer example of this. Moules marinieres ies, meanwhile, have broadened goes with all pizza. And the same with a herbal, citrusy Belgian wit- their epicurean horizons beyond goes for nuts. And, while we are on bier is a fine example of a beer that the clichéd pie and a pint, and are the topic, crisps. complements the elements of a now adorning their bottles with These fusions of flavour are just a dish. Contrast, meanwhile, is just recommended food pairings. few examples of what can be found that: a lively and feisty clash that It is not a new thing. Beer and under beer and food’s shining should not work but does; two food have been culinary compan- silver dome of epicurean oppor- opposites that attract. One of the ions since the Middle Ages when tunity. The culinary possibilities finest contrasting beer and food brew houses and kitchens were one are endless and, unlike the world’s matches is the briny flavour of oys- and the same. The beer tankard, best wine which worry wallets, the ters paired with the roasted malt The beer tankard, not the wine chalice, graced the world’s best beers are pleasantly flavours of a dry stout or porter. dining tables of both the posh and affordable and within the grasp of Hoppy beers are akin to acidic wines not the wine chalice, the pauper for centuries. In fact, it everyone’s fiscal fingertips. In circumstances where you would was the Romans, the original oen- So, if you have not done so al- be seeking a wine with high acid- graced the dining tables ophiles, who first propagated the ready, open your eyes, awaken your ity, such as with salty, oily or spicy exclusive “wine and dine” myth. senses, step out of the gastronomic food, it is best to opt for an ale or of both the posh and the Anyway, what beer lacks in tan- gloom and bask in the brilliance of lager with significant hoppinesss. nin and acidity, two of wine’s key beer and food. These include German pilsners, pauper for centuries weapons, it makes up for in copi- ous other culinary qualities. It has IPAs, bolshie pale ales and biere- rich carbonation and biting, fruit bitterness, sweetness, bubbles; it Glassware: get rid of the pint glasses de-garde beers from France. finish contrasting brilliantly with the leads with less alcohol and it has an smooth, buttery feel of the food. Try enormous array of flavours, many Recommended beer and Liefmans Cuvee Brut (Kriek), Gir- of which are absent from wine’s Whenever serving beer during a meal and what- food combinations ardin Kriek, Drie Fonteinen Oude repertoire. Get the beer right and ever it is served with, one thing you must do is get Foie gras or duck confit with kriek Kriek, Oude Kriek Boon. magic will happen. rid of the pint glass. It is an absurd vessel and, It is difficult to unearth a more in- Salads, chicken and fish with wit- It is a simple fact that beer has like feet, has no place on the dinner table. As stantly incredible food-and-drink biers and weissbiers a far wider range of flavours than with wine and spirits, good beer should be pairing than foie gras and this sweet, Wheat beer, be it Bavarian or Belgian wine. Beer can taste like pretty much served in refined glassware. You would not slightly sour beer style from Bel- in style, is food’s flexible friend. Bel- anything – lychee, coffee, pear drops, slosh a bottle of vintage wine into a pint glass, gium, made by steeping real cherries gian witbier, often brewed with orange banana, toffee, chocolate, lemon- so why do it with a beautiful beer? What holds in a brown ale. Unlike sauternes, the peel and coriander, is spicy yet light grass – the variety is endless. true for the grape holds true for the hop. Like age-old wine option, kriek has the with herbal, citrus notes, while Ger- Beer has the caramelised charac- wine, different beers need different glasses tartness to cut through the indul- man weissbier gets all its banana and ter to find favour and further fla- to enhance the taste, bouquet and balance gent texture and does not complicate clove-like flavours from the use of a vour with charcoal-chequered meat of the glorious liquid that lies within. things with a coating mouth-feel. unique yeast strain. They make great and desserts. Where spicy, heat- The textures are wonderful too; the breakfast beers and are awesome with BEST OF BEER 7

Beer can Goodbody’s Wholesome Stout, complement Recipe for sweet success Meantime London Porter. fine cuisine Epoisse with Belgian Trappist beers in the best Unlike wine, beer has the vari- restaurants Young’s London Special Ale pancakes with toffee sauce ety of textures to lift rich, in- around the One of the nation’s most popular premium ales, Young’s Lon- dulgent cheeses from the palate, world don Special Ale is a perfect ingredient for pancakes: the toffee while cheese, in return, mellows notes bring out the delicious caramelised flavours in the sugar beer’s bitter hoppiness. Citrusy, and complement the golden syrup in the toffee sauce. herbal hops replicate a number of accompaniments often found Pancakes on a cheeseboard, such as fruit n 1/2 pint of Young’s London Special Ale chutney, quince jelly and raw ap- n 2 eggs ple. Lots of beer styles pay hom- n 100gms of plain flour age to fromage better than wine, Mix all of the ingredients together until they are the consist- but Trappist ales from Belgium, ency of double cream. Fry in batches in a very hot, well-oiled brewed by monks who also have frying pan. a long history of cheese-making, are particularly thrilling. Try an Toffee Sauce aromatic Epoisse with the port- n 75gms of butter like, almond-tinged Orval, or a n 75gms of brown sugar blue cheese with Chimay Bleue, n 75gms of golden syrup the dry figgy pudding flavours n 2 tablespoons of condensed milk of Rochefort 10 with a stilton, or Heat all the ingredients together until combined and the sug- blend the nutty and herbal notes ar has melted. Serve with chopped nuts, raisins and a pint of of Westmalle Tripel with a mature Young’s London Special Ale. English farmhouse cheddar. After-dinner oak-aged ales An increasing number of brewers eggs Benedict as well as a full greasy ters are a stunning contrast to the are creating strong ales and matur- fry-up. Weissbier works wonders with sharp, briny brashness of the oyster. ing them in wood. With chocolate, pork belly and pasta dishes while Bel- Shuck it and see. When browned cheese or a whisky, they are delight- gian witbier is magnificent with mus- ever so slightly and caramelised, ful after-dinner sipping beers, best sels, chicken caesar salad, fishcakes and seared scallops are also perfect with drunk from a snifter or a tumbler. fresh whitebait. Try Schneider Weiss, the malt sweetness and Try Innis & Gunn, Harv- Erdinger Weiss, Blue Moon, Weihen- feint treacle touches iestoun Ola Dubh, Old stephaner Hefe-Weiss, Troublette Wit- found in traditional Crafty Hen, Fuller’s bier, Vedett Extra White, Hoegaarden. porter. Try Fuller’s Brewers Reserve. Curry with India Pale Ale London Porter, Curry is big on flavour and spice, and Coopers Best Extra is looking for a liquid lover to act as a Stout, O’Hanlon’s throat-charming chutney substitute. Port Stout, Dorothy Gordon IPA, with its marmalade notes and Ramsay has soothing citrus hints of lychee, lemon designed and lime, is just perfect here. It also beer for has the stamina and hoppy strength to dining survive. IPAs and spicy tandoori dish- es are perfect bedfellows as an IPA’s hops are the perfect foil for curry’s rasping capsaicins. Softer south Indi- an dishes would work better with pale ales, however, like Coopers Sparkling Ale from Australia. Also try Meantime IPA, Worthington White Shield, Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Brewdog Punk IPA, Thornbridge Jaipur IPA. Shellfish and seafood with porter or stout Oysters are awesome with porters and stouts. The association dates back to early-Victorian times when porters and stouts were everyday beers, and oysters were a bar snack as pedestrian as peanuts are today. Earthy, intense and brewed using

toasty, roasted malts, stouts and por- © Fiona Hamilton/Newspix/Rex Features

Cooking with beer: tips for tipple cuisine

Stout marinade flavoured root vegetables, such as sweet po- With a characteristic caramel sweetness and tato or parsnips, will balance out any overtly dry bitterness, stout is a superb beer in which hoppy flavours. to soak pork, chicken, beef or lamb; a porter Batters will work too. Oilier fish (mackerel and sardines) like a hop- Sauces pier beer, such as Marston’s Old Empire, Make sure that leaner, hoppier beers are not whereas light fish (sole) are happy with wit- boiled in a reduction as they can go bitter and biers, fragrant English ales or the sweeter In- metallic. Ideally, the intensity of flavour of the beer nis & Gunn brews. should mirror the intensity of flavour of the food. Salad dressings Poaching Add American Blue Moon wheat beer or Hoe- If you are poaching foods, do it at low heat gaarden from Belgium to your salad dressing 160-180C and remember that adding sweetly for exotic complexity. © F Sierakowski/Rex Features 8 BEST OF BEER

Champion beers of the World Cup world cup Football and beer are a perfect match. But who are the final 16 biggest drinkers and what are their best national beers?

Peter Archer takes a swig of World Cup beverages © beergenie.co.uk

hatever they manage more were downed, drowning World Cup. And England can World champion beer drinkers on the pitch, surely sorrows, after England crashed only sip home in sixth place. Germany consume a staggering W no other nation out to Germany on Sunday. Of the 32 nations taking part, 196.6 pints (111.7 litres) per per- could ever outdrink the beer- But, wait for the whistle, not New Zealand are runners-up to son a year, compared with Eng- loving, thirsty English? content with their side’s victory on Germany, in terms of beer con- land’s 146.9 pints (83.5 litres). After all, we are Anglo-Saxon the field of play, the beer halls of sumption per capita, with Slov- The Kiwis, in second place, knock ale quaffers famed throughout Bavaria are claiming they outswill enia third, Denmark fourth and back a dizzying 162.4 pints (92.3 the world. Where else could more England’s traditional pubs. lager-loving Australia fifth. litres) per head of population. pints be downed than in England? The referee is consulting the England, followed by the So when it comes to the se- For example, during Eng- oracle – www.beergenie.co.uk United States, Slovakia, Nether- rious – and sometimes not so land’s three qualifying matches – and writing something in his lands, Serbia, Portugal, Mexico, serious - subject of beer, it pays in South Africa, it is estimated notebook. It cannot be true. Switzerland, South Africa, Chile to stay ahead of the game. Why that an extra 21 million pints The Germans top the league and Brazil, make up the last 16 not taste some of the best World of beer were drunk. Many of beer drinkers at the football biggest boozers. Cup beers on offer?

Germany 1 New Zealand 2

Schneider Weisse Monteith’s Lager Bursting with banana flavours and cloves, it is to Bavarian A light-bodied lager, soft and mellow with a nutty send- 7 wheat beer what Jurgen Klinsmann was to diving in the off. Monteith’s brewery in Greymouth, on New Zealand’s penalty area; one of the world’s finest wheat beers. west coast, dates back almost 150 years. In 2001 it was Andechser Doppelbock Dunkel closed by new corporate owners but, following public Chocolate, raisins, prunes, bitter coffee beans and a pep- outcry, reopened four days later. The brewery still uses 12 pery twang feature in this chewy, maroon-coloured dark boilers fuelled by coal and open fermentation, and the beer from a Monastic brewery, located at the foot of the beers remain unpasteurised. Holy Mountain, south of Munich.

16 Slovenia 3 Denmark 4

Lasko Club Mikkeller Single Hop India Pale Ale (IPA) A light pasteurised lager beer which could be teamed up Founder and brewer Mikkel Borg Bjergsø, the man behind with Slovenia’s favourite beef goulash and dumplings fol- Mikkeller beers, does not actually have a brewery. He trots 15 lowed by strudel. Slovenes, who incidentally have the low- the globe, like a hedonistic hobo, collaborating with the est marriage rate in the EU, have hired The Colonies pub in cream of the world’s craft-brewing talent, tapping their London’s Victoria for the duration of the World Cup. brains and borrowing equipment to create his unique ales. Carlsberg Export Probably well known, this slightly stronger golden Europe- an pilsner achieves a thirst-slaking balance between malt sweetness and herbal, hop bitterness; Carlsberg was the first brewery to domesticate wild yeast.

Australia 5 England 6 United States 7

Foster’s Fuller’s London Porter Anchor Steam Beer Streuth, do lagers come much more super-chilled than this? Brewed by the River Thames using a trio of brown malts, This San Franciscan cult beer dates from the 1890s Califor- The amber nectar is a sure-fire fridge-filler for even the most this Dickensian-esque drop has the dark hue of a cheeky nian Gold Rush. It straddles the gap between a lager and an fair-weather football fan; Foster’s claim Brits drink more than soot-swathed chimney-sweep; silky and smooth, it is nutty ale, and is brewed using fresh North American hop flowers. 30 pints of their Aussie brew every second. with a touch of liquorice, coffee and dark, bitter chocolate, Budweiser Coopers Sparkling Ale and is great with oysters or in a stew. The best-selling beer brand in the western world has few A deep auburn-coloured and cloudy bottle-conditioned Wells Bombardier rivals in the easy-drinking finals; brewed with rice and la- beer with a honeyed hop aroma followed by a full-bodied Natural mineral water, English Fuggles hops and crushed gered using beech wood, Bud is as American as apple pie. fruity, raspberry-ish note and mild hop bite. Crystal malted barley deliver the experience of England in a glass; peppery aromas give way to malty richness, tangy hops and sultana fruit on the palate, with a long, soft, spicy finish. BEST OF BEER 9

Brazil 16 Chile 15 South Africa 14

Brahma Lager Beer Fallen Angel’s Fire in the Hole Chilli Beer Amstel Adored almost as much as Pele, this light, easy-drinking la- Chileans export wine but not their beer, so why not give the Brewed in South Africa, host country of the 2010 World ger was created in 1888 and is enjoyed all over Brazil. Fallen Angel Brewery in Sussex a call; their Fire in the Hole Cup, with all the Dutch deftness of a Johan Cruyff pass, Xingu beer is not from Chile but it is brewed using chillis. Amstel is a little hoppier than most mainstream lagers and A black, silky lager laced with sweet treacle on the palate is a good teammate for hard cheese; it is named after the and liquorice on the nose; pronounced “shin-goo”, it was river that runs through Amsterdam. inspired by an ancient Amazonian tribe who brewed black beer as long ago as the mid-1550s.

Switzerland 13

Hurlimann Lager Named after Albert Hurlimann, a world champion in the sci- entific study of yeast, this citrus-scented Swiss lager is a zes- ty Zurich-born beer which is clean, crisp and now brewed in Kent to ensure freshness for the UK market.

4 6 9 Mexico 12 1 8 13 10 3 Negra Modelo 11 The dark beer alternative for Mexican beer drinkers, it is one of the few surviving examples of Vienna-type beer; creamy, smooth and full of flavour. Dos Equis This tawny-brown lager is another rare Vienna-style brew and proof that beer is not all parch-busting pilsners in Mex- ico; firm of body and sound of sip, its velvet malt texture comes varnished with a resinous, grassy hop character that will tackle a fiery fajita and palate-burning burrito.

Portugal 11

5 Sagres 14 The lager of Lisbon, Sagres is supped all over southern Portugal; a German-style pilsner best served with light tapas or perhaps cod, cooked in one of 365 different, Portuguese ways. 2

Slovakia 8 Netherlands 9 Serbia 10

Zlaty Bazant Heineken Jelen Pivo Meaning Golden Pheasant, the biggest beer in Slovakia is a One of the world’s legendary lagers, Heineken has been The traditional and leading Serbian beer brand is a best- pale Euro-lager brewed in a Czech style; good with a Slovak brewed since 1873; a clean and crispy lager with a fruity seller throughout central and eastern Europe; a core lager potato pancake fried in oil perhaps. finish. beer made with high-quality ingredients, it has a distinctive Grolsch Weizen bitter taste. Fuller bodied than Belgian witbiers but with more spice than Bavarian weizen; good with the popular Dutch bar snack, bitterballen, which is a savoury, deep-fried beef meatball with parsley and seasoning. 10 BEST OF BEER Real beer for real women lifestyle More and more women are switching from wine to beer as brewers begin to cater for female tastes. Stephanie Hirschmiller meets the ladies who like a nice pint at the new-look local

ike many women, I have the drinks industry evinced by the always had a slight mis- statistics. According to a survey, trust of beer. I think it conducted by CAMRA (Campaign stems from my first uni- For Real Ale) earlier this year, the Lversity vacation when an old percentage of females who have school-friend turned up at my lo- tried real ale has more than dou- cal pub. She had previously been bled in the last 18 months from 16 one of those super-svelte types to 37 per cent. whose figure everyone envied. The introduction of more fe- But now she was knocking back male-friendly brews, such as Fullers’ the pints and beginning to bear Honeydew, that are sweeter, fresher, an uncanny resemblance to a beer paler in colour and lower in alcohol barrel. It was not a good look. content than their more traditional In retrospect, however, it was counterparts, is also contributing more than likely a combination of to the swing. Although some may junk food and sheer quantity of consider this a trifle patronising booze intake, rather than the beer and complain that it is simply con- alone, that was to blame. Believe it forming to a stereotypical view of or not, pint for pint, beer is gen- women and their tastes, it certainly Women can erally lower in calories than wine seems to be working. be attracted or spirits. A Beer Academy report And with a raft of young thirty- to the taste published this month says that something women making waves in of beer © beergenie.co.uk half a pint (284ml) at 4 per cent an industry, which has, up until now, ABV (alcohol by volume) contains been rather male-dominated, the around 95 calories while a 175ml trend certainly seems set to continue. bottling manager at the St Austell Sure she has helped to develop That restaurants from All Bar glass of white wine weighs in at a Brewery in Cornwall, famous for the brewery’s Chocolate and Chil- One to Pearl in London’s Holborn hiccup-inducing 131. PAOLA its flagship Tribute ale. Having li beer brought out for Valentine’s have taken to matching food with Yes, times are a-changing. In fact, A case in point is 35-year-old Pao- grown up in Bogotá, Colombia, Day this year, but her rare sensi- beer, as was once the preserve there is a seismic shift occurring in la Leather, technical brewer and she was immersed in beer from bility goes right back to her child- of wine, is another key factor in an early age. Her grandfather hood. “My mum never allowed us making the drink more accessible worked in the brewing industry to have sweets when we were chil- to women. And then there is An- Putting the ale back in female and she remembers family bar- dren,” she says. “So if we wanted drew Fisher’s pioneering Brouge beques where beer was not only something sweet, we got fruit or group, which made it to the finals drunk but also used in the cook- vegetables.” In fact, she and her of this year’s F Word, Channel 4 For many centuries women – not men – dominated brew- ing process as a marinade. She two sisters were encouraged to TV chef Gordon Ramsay’s show. ing. References to “brewsters” and “ale wives” are common recalls how, as a child, she was al- experiment with different tastes Not only does it boast a resident throughout the medieval period of history. Brewing was a form lowed just a little bit mixed with a and flavours from an early age, beer sommelier, to guide diners of cooking and was done by women, until making beer became soft drink. “When I was at school I and urged to engage all the senses through a dizzying roster of some a large-scale commercial venture and men muscled in. used to say that I wanted to work including touch and smell. One of 60 varieties, for the most part But women are slowly making a comeback, not only in brew- in a brewery when I grew up,” she her first memories is the delicious from small independent Belgian ing but also in the drinking of beer. laughs. “People thought it was just scent of fresh carrots. brewers, but it also uses beer in its In the UK there are now a number of women among top something you say as a kid, but Lizzie Brodie, one half of the cuisine, with star dishes like hon- brewers, tasters and testers at the St Austell Brewery in Corn- now I’ve fulfilled my dream.” brother-and-sister team who man- ey-spiced Lambiek beer ribs with wall, Greene King in Suffolk, Shepherd Neame in Kent and She came to her post via an age the William IV pub in Leyton chilli and spring onion, and serves Scotland’s Traquair House Brewery. unusual trajectory which saw her and co-own East London’s Brodie’s beer-based cocktails to boot. However, according to recent research, 79 per cent of British working as a taster for chocolate brewery, maintains that women “Since setting up two years ago, women never or rarely drink beer. and coffee in Columbia where she find her more approachable as she I’ve seen a total shift in perception A slightly cheerier statistic, from the point of view of beer honed her palate. I wondered if is another woman as well as being from real ale being an old man’s appreciation presented by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAM- there were many principles from a brewer. The pair started the small drink to becoming increasingly RA), is that 37 per cent of female alcohol drinkers have now this initial career that she’s been brewery, more as a hobby than any- trendy with the female market,” tried the real stuff. able to apply to beer. thing else, in 2008 but it has ended says Duncan Sambrook, former ac- But why are so many women still not interested in the up running their lives. “We get countant turned founder of Sam- taste of beer? loads of attractive young women, brook’s micro-brewery in London’s The British Beer & Pub Association’s Beer Genie website from ladies-who-lunch types to Battersea. He has managed to con- is categorical. “The reason that women don’t drink as much The percentage of yummy mummies,” she enthuses. vert his wife. “When we started dat- beer as men is a combination of misconceptions, myopic “We make a lot of light hoppy ales ing, she drank nothing but wine,” macho marketing, a lack of information and the way it is women who have which is a great starting point.” he says, “and now I’ve even man- served,” says Beer Genie. aged to convert some of her friends “There are more than 60 different beer styles to choose tried real ale has more MINT CHOC-CHIP who I never thought I’d see drink- from, many of which will appeal to female drinkers. The duo’s seasonal ales go down ing ale either.” “One could suggest fruit beers, golden ales, wheat beers than doubled in the last a treat and the current special is a Getting women to embrace the and light, easy-drinking lagers. But that would be to sug- strawberries and cream variety in amber nectar is a marathon rather gest that women don’t have the palate or the ability to en- 18 months from 16 to 37 honour of Wimbledon. Past suc- than a sprint, but with all those joy ‘bigger’ beers.” cesses have been passion fruit and stamina-building B vitamins, you per cent even mint choc-chip flavours. can bet beer is up to the challenge. BEST OF BEER 11

Sponsored FEATURE

Paul Wells’ passion for a great pint in a great pub shines Fancy a pint? through

There is more to a pint of beer than water, barley, hops and yeast. Passion, dedication and pride play a huge part too, as Joanna Dring finds out

riving past, you would “We use a lot of British malt- not think anything ing barley and have quite specific of it: a tall, old, win- requirements, so we have good re- dowless building, slap lationships with our farmers,” says Dbang in the middle of a street full Paul. “For example, we can actually of turn-of-the-century houses. pinpoint the field where our Maris Yet this building is where the Otter barley was grown – not many journey of one of man’s greatest brewers can claim that.” creations begins – beer. The end result of this immense The building is home to a well, passion for brewing and qual- sunk by the great-grandfather of ity is, of course, a great pint in Paul Wells, chairman of Wells and a great pub. And Paul Wells’ pas- Young’s Brewing Company. sion for the pub is just as strong “Water is one of the most impor- as it is for the beer. tant ingredients in beer,” he says. “I love pubs and there is nowhere “And back in 1904, my great-grand- else where you can enjoy fresh cask father sunk a bore hole to natural beers which are so full of flavour. mineral water; water so pure that That first sip of top quality cask it could be bottled and sold – but beer, pulled fresh from the pump we don’t because then we wouldn’t in the pub, full of character and have enough for our beers.” condition, is a unique British tradi- With centuries of brewing ex- tion, and at Wells and Young’s we’re perience on the banks of the River proud to be part of it.” Great Ouse in Bedford, Wells and Young’s has enjoyed a meteoric rise HAVE YOU TRIED? from a small regional brewer to a major player in the UK drinks in- dustry as the brewer behind some of the country’s best-loved beers. In a typical matter-of-fact style, Red Tractor accredited barley, hops Paul says: “You might not have from Kent or Worcester and water heard of the brewery, but you’ll from the brewery’s very own well, so know our cask beers, Bombar- you can rest assured you are drink- dier, Young’s and Courage. We ing a beer brewed with the very best also brew and import world-re- ingredients. nowned lagers such as Red Stripe, London Gold is light and fruity Corona Extra and Kirin Ichiban. with a refreshing bite. These beers make up an outstand- ing range which has something for everyone. Wells Bombardier “But there is a saying: all beers Proudly brandishing the St Wells Waggle Dance are created equal, but some are bet- George’s Cross, “Drink of Eng- An unusual name for a very drink- ter than others. And we like to think land” Wells Bombardier, is the able beer. The “Waggle Dance” is ours are really special. epitome of England in a glass. For Young’s Bitter the movement bees make to alert “If you visit our brewery and talk 15 years, Bombardier has cele- Nicknamed “Ordinary” by its loyal fellow bees to the source of nectar. to the team, you’ll find they are all brated all things English – from St drinkers, there is nothing ordinary And Waggle Dance is brewed with passionate about what we do, and George’s Day, through to home- about the flagship Young’s beer. real honey. In fact nearly half a there is no greater passion than a grown English sports and events Young’s Bitter was the first beer ton of honey is used in every sin- brewer making sure the beer they’re – and it is also the Official Beer of from a major brewery to receive gle brew to make this delicate, but brewing is the best quality it can English Heritage. Red Tractor accreditation, such is not overly sweet, beer. be. We have nine master brewers, Bombardier has peppery aromas the determination of the brewers to Waggle Dance is the brewery’s which is more than any other brew- and sultana fruit on the palate. make sure only 100 per cent Farm summer seasonal beer, so get it ery of its size. This means every www.bombardier.co.uk / www. Assured Barley is used in the brew. Courage Directors while you can. pint is brewed to perfection and the twitter.com/bombardier_beer / Young’s is the beer for people who Dating back to 1787, Courage beers The beer has a touch of hon- beer won’t leave the brewery until www.facebook.com/bombardier.beer really know their stuff. are synonymous with British brew- ey on the nose and palate, and they’ve given the go-ahead; it’s a Young’s Bitter is a refreshing, ing. Iconic “Take Courage” signs its sweetness is balanced with a meticulous process from a quality- golden beer with a light and fruity can be seen adorning pubs and healthy dose of hops to give the control perspective.” aroma, and dry, bitter finish. buildings around the country, and beer a delicate flavour. Sustainability is also a key area www.youngsbeers.co.uk / www. it is Courage Directors which is for Wells and Young’s. Not only There is no greater twitter.com/youngsbeers / www. the crème de la crème of Courage For more information on Wells were they the first major brewery to facebook.com/youngsbeers beers. First brewed for the direc- and Young’s, and to see the receive the Red Tractor mark of ac- passion than a brewer Young’s London Gold tors of the brewery, the beer was full range of beers, visit creditation for its British barley, but If you are new to cask beer, then this so good and so sought-after, it was www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk they also make sure they have long- making sure the beer is the beer for you. The newest mem- not long until this exclusive beer term contracts with their farmers. ber of the Young’s family, Young’s became available to everyone. Now This means security for the farmers they’re brewing is the best London Gold is light, refreshing and available nationwide, Directors still and a guarantee of the best ingredi- full of citrus flavour. Like all Young’s retains its exceptional quality with ents for Wells and Young’s. quality it can be beers, London Gold is brewed with a rich, deep taste. 12 BEST OF BEER Pub and beer trade can ride the crisis business Pubs face a bitter time as the coalition pub values having slumped 30 per cent since their peak in 2007, realis- Government’s austerity measures, including ing value is tough. a hike in VAT, begin to bite. But all is not lost, The Tennyson, owned by Punch, writes Nick Louth is one of them. The site is likely to be used for housing. “We never got the support of the used to enjoy a good pint of borne to make a matching cut in pubco,” says Mr Johnson. “We nev- Bombardier at the Lord Tenny- duty to offset the VAT rise, but put er had a fighting chance.” He, and son in Louth and once won the a brave face on its disappointment. many thousands of other tenants pub quiz. But the only question “The VAT rise is a price to pay who were tied to buying beer from unansweredI at this Lincolnshire pub for tackling the deficit and bring- their pubco, maintain that they of- is how long the demolition wrecking ing Britain’s balance sheet back in ten could not buy beer in at the price ball will take next week to reduce it order,” Mrs Simmonds says. “This supermarkets are now selling it. to rubble. The gentle clack of pool tax increase is not welcome, but is

balls in the lounge is long gone and understandable and applies to eve- TIED PUBS © Nicholas Bailey/Rex Features the restaurant, where Thursday was rybody. We hope this will be short- However, the Campaign for Real steak night (two for £20 including a term pain for long-term gain.” Ale (CAMRA) last year failed to Prospects are While there is plenty of doom Eight out of ten adults still count bottle of wine), is boarded up. Mrs Simmonds says she was re- persuade the Office of Fair Trad- uncertain for and gloom around, all is not lost. themselves as pub-goers and 15 “It’s really sad to see it go,” says lieved that beer duty had not been ing (OFT) that the beer tie operates pubs in hard The industry has worked hard to million people visit a pub at least Rob Johnson who, with Alison An- increased. However, an above-infla- against the public interest. The OFT times improve the tenant-owner relation- once a week. Pubs provide an in- drews, spent six years running the tion rise in duty in Alastair Darling’s concluded: “Any strategy by a pub- ship, with a new code of practice creasingly sophisticated range of Tennyson. “It’s going to be a big loss last Budget in March had already owning company which compro- and more emphasis on training. food, wine and entertainment, and to the area.” brought the total beer-tax rise since mises the competitive position of its “The fantastic thing about run- have immersed themselves in the Every week 39 pubs across the March 2008 to 26 per cent. tied pubs would not be sustainable.” ning a pub is that you don’t need local economy. The average pub country close, many of them like In addition, there are sizeable Many in the industry, and a mi- masses of qualifications, but you do spends £70,000 a year on locally- the Lord Tennyson never to reo- problems within the industry. The nority within CAMRA, had feared need training,” Mrs Simmonds says. sourced goods and services. pen. In the first quarter of 2010, two largest pub companies or pub- that a complete abolition of the tie “The pub is a British icon and 23 pub, bar and nightclub compa- cos, Enterprise Inns and Punch would in any case undermine small beer is a British drink,” says Mrs nies collapsed, more than double Taverns, are struggling to earn a breweries by leading publicans to buy Simmonds. “Around 90 per cent of the number a year ago, and a stark return on the multi-billion- pound discounted mass-produced brews. The national average what is drunk here is brewed here.” contrast to the rest of the economy debts they took on to buy their “I think the pubco model will move So, while the demolition crews where corporate failures are slow- pubs, and are now selling off large on,” says the BBPA’s Mrs Simmonds. price for a pint is now move in on the Lord Tennyson, ing. The effects of the smoking ban parts of their estates, which togeth- “If we removed the tie, then some for those who enjoy a pint in good in 2007 are still being felt too. er total 14,200 pubs. However, with brewers would have disappeared.” almost £3 company, there is still hope. Putting the British pub back at the heart of communities is going to take a lot more than nostalgia and Now there’s a funny thing to tell your friends in the pub... goodwill, though. While publicans are racking their brains to find ways to get people back into the UK’s facts This is not a pub quiz. But With alcohol tax in mind, if you thought the be depended upon to meet any national cri- 52,000 pubs, by offering more food British government is tough on pubs, in an- sis. The great point is to bring them the real and entertainment or by running did you know that the oldest cient Mesopotamia – now Iraq – tavern own- facts, and beer.” shops and Post Offices from licensed surviving recipe in the world is for ers found guilty of overcharging for beer were Queen Victoria said: “Give my people plenty premises, they are up against the put to death by drowning. of beer, good beer, and cheap beer, and you will toughest competitor of all: price. beer? Peter Archer considers some More historical trivia: the hard-drinking Vi- have no revolution among them.” When supermarkets offer beer in other slightly surprising trivia kings believed that a giant goat, whose udders Wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill bulk at less than £1 a pint, those who provided an endless supply of beer, awaited also knew beer’s worth. He said: “Make sure prefer the conviviality of their local pay In ancient Egypt, so the story goes, two con- them in Valhalla, Viking heaven. that the beer – four pints a week – goes to the handsomely for it. The national aver- tainers of beer were the minimum wage for a And the reason that traditional European troops under fire before any of the parties in age price for a pint is now almost £3. day’s labour. beer steins have lids dates back to the time of the rear get a drop.” “Beer taxation is absolutely cru- Egyptians used beer as a currency to pay the plague; drinkers did not want deadly The Weihenstephan Brewery in Bavaria, cial to this,” says Brigid Simmonds, slaves, tradesmen, priests and public officials bugs to fall in their beer. making beer since 1040, is the world’s chief executive of the British Beer & alike. But payment of the liquid “kash”, as the The term “the real McCoy” derives oldest running brewery and the oldest Pub Association. “There is clearly a beer was called, did not reflect the strictly regu- from Jim McCoy, an American Prohi- trademark in Britain is Bass Ale’s link between pubs closing and the lated social hierarchy. For example, although bition bootlegger whose beers distinctive red triangle. level of tax on beer in pubs.” the Queen was entitled to ten loaves of bread tasted impressively similar to Incidentally, beer cans were a day, she too was allotted two crocks of beer, the real brands. Don Marquis, first produced in 1935; in BUDGET while a princess received ten loaves but had to American journalist and hu- China, you can buy beer in With a rise in VAT from 17.5 per be content with one daily crock of free beer. morist, remarked: “Prohibi- plastic bags; and the Japa- cent to 20 per cent announced in last Even the daily beer ration of the slaves, who tion makes you want to cry nese delicacy Kobe beef is week’s emergency Budget, the total built the pyramids to last, included two crocks into your beer and denies made from cows that have cost of tax and duty on a typical pint of brew. This was their right and could not be you the beer to cry into.” been massaged in beer. will rise by 6p to reach £1 when the withheld on the whim of the slave master for the Staying in America, And, if you have managed tax rise kicks in on January 4. nectar of the goods – as the Egyptians believed George Washington had a to stay awake, put some A report by Oxford Economics beer to be – was a human entitlement. brew house in the grounds dried hops under your pillow this month predicted that VAT at Beer became so popular in ancient Egypt that of his home, Mount Ver- to help you sleep; hops are a 20 per cent would have a devastat- no ruler dared tax it until, in 35BC, a hard-up non. And Abraham Lincoln, herbal sedative. ing impact on the British beer and Cleopatra resorted to the ultimate insult. She the 16th President of the pub industry with the loss of more slapped a tax on beer, the people’s drink, osten- United States, said: “I am a Abraham Lincoln: than 7,000 jobs. sibly to curb public drunkenness, but in reality to firm believer in the people. ‘Give the people real The pub and brewing industry build more naval galleys. If given the truth, they can facts and beer’ had wanted Chancellor George Os- BEST OF BEER 13

Crafty business on the up craft beers Britain is part of a global revolution sector, an alternative to mainstream lager for image-conscious main- in craft brewing which is transforming pub life. stream beer drinkers, or for those Choice is now as plentiful as flavour and real ale is looking for a beer with the depth and substance to match with food. cool again. Pete Brown reports Over the past few years, that trickle of imports has become a t is a truism in beer that when ported speciality beer. As the total flood. Anyone who thinks Belgium you start drinking – a key stage beer market declines, these two styles is a boring country should look at in your emerging individual- are the only ones stable or in growth. its beer: a country the size of Wales ity as an adult – you reject the People who have grown up see- produces over a thousand different Ibeer your dad drank. ing everyone around them drinking beers. As well as wheat beers and For as long as I have been drinking lager are reaching their mid-20s and fruit beers brewed with raspberries beer, this has been cited as one of the saying: “Is that it? Surely there must or cherries, there are strong, after- reasons why, in the space of a genera- be something a bit more interest- dinner beers brewed by monks, tion, Britain stopped drinking tradi- ing.” And just like Britain’s broader beers that ferment spontaneously, tional real ale and switched to lager. foodie revolution, they are finding sour beers and aged beers.

Ale, runs the received wisdom, is only more complex flavours, a greater ar- These are now joined on Brit- © beergenie.co.uk drunk by old men in flat caps. ray of styles, more locally sourced or ish pub and supermarket shelves But received wisdom has a habit organic products, and more local and by quality lagers from Germany The number popularity. In 2002, Progressive adding quirky ingredients, such as of running slower than reality. We artisanal producers than ever before. and the Czech Republic, beefed-up of small Beer Duty gave a tax incentive to fruit, chocolate or spices. first started drinking lager in huge Thanks to our peculiarly British takes on traditional styles from the breweries has small brewers and hundreds of new British real ale, once the preserve quantities in the mid-seventies. disease of believing anything we do phenomenal craft-beer scenes in multiplied in artisan breweries opened for busi- of the geek, is cool again, with its And if you were 20 in 1976 – the as a country is probably a bit rub- countries such as the United States, recent years ness. There are now more breweries distinctive hand pumps appearing year lager really took off – you are bish, we find imported beer easier Sweden and Denmark, and excit- in the UK than at any time since the on more bars every year, appealing now 54. Look closely next time to like. The tiny trickle of Belgian ing new experimental beers from 1940s. And while they continue to to anyone who enjoys flavour. you are in a backstreet boozer: to- imports went mainstream in the northern Italy that cost anything show a healthy respect for brewing It reasserts its place on the bar day, that codger in the corner with late-90s, when wheat beer Hoe- up to £100 a bottle. heritage, younger breweries, such as as part of a global revolution in the flat cap is probably drinking gaarden and strong, sweet Abbey But we have always had our own Thornbridge, Dark Star, Brew Dog craft brewing, a revolution that Carlsberg or Carling. beer Leffe made the transition from craft beer too. Britain is pretty and Otley, are marrying tradition means if you are looking for Nowadays, if you want a different specialist bars to high-end main- much the only serious beer nation with innovation, cross-fertilising something interesting in your drink from the pint your dad drank, stream pubs. They created what in the world that does not recognise beer styles, experimenting with glass, there has never been a bet- you will choose either real ale or im- the trade calls the “speciality-beer” its incredible influence and global ageing beer in whisky barrels or ter time to dive in to beer. dispensing Beer can stock room is evidenced at the point of sale. Look for these cues: polished, be delivered in perfect shiny hand pulls and dispense fonts; condition but if it is not clean, sparkling glassware; gleaming premises; and spick-and-span pres- kept properly in the entation at the bar. pub cellar and served The industry’s greatest asset – well, the pint suffers, as and at the same time its greatest liability – are the bar staff whose Kamini Dickie discovers job is to serve a great pint. Happy, smiling staff, trained in pouring the perfect pint into the correct hree deep at the bar on a Friday branded glass and who, crucial- night and the pub staff, while ly, are knowledgeable about the Tswarming like busy bees, have beers that they are serving, are in- yet to alight on your hard-fought cor- dispensible to dispensing. ner. Despite the sweaty nature of this Yet bar staff change frequently, encounter, against expectations your with industry experts estimating round arrives in pristine shape: bright, turnover at 40 to 50 per cent in a sparkling beer in the perfect glass at Serving up quality for year and undoubtedly more so in just the right refreshing temperature. city centres. Greene King’s Richard It may seem self-evident but Maisonpierre comments: “One of good pubs have good cellars, ef- the biggest challenges for the indus- ficient dispensing systems and discerning quaffers try is training good bar staff. All too knowledgeable bar staff to serve © beergenie.co.uk often they are hired to simply pour you the best beer. Casks and kegs beer and take money.” are kept in an orderly fashion down A well presented into its own. When it arrives from and 13C; and Taste – it should be At the gastro pub-end of the li- below. As Beer Academy chief exec- bar can mean well the brewery, cask-conditioned beer refreshing with no off-flavours.” censed trade there is, perhaps sur- utive George Philliskirk says: “The kept beer is not ready to be served. It needs to The casks and kegs in the cellar prisingly for the casual observer, ev- cellar is the engine room of a good be stillaged and allowed to sit quietly are tapped and connected to the idence of how seriously beer service pub, delivering great beer.” for three to four days while it condi- hand pulls and dispense fonts on is regarded. Welcome the arrival The quality of beer leaving the tions; during this time the cask is held the bar via tubes called lines. Keep- of the beer sommelier, trained in brewery has never been better; it is steady on its side while final second- ing the taps, lines and fonts hygi- matching and recommending beers then in the hands of the publican The industry’s ary fermentation takes place, and the enically clean is an onerous task as any good wine champion would to ensure that the beer is handled finings and yeast collect in the belly of which good publicans take in their do for their clientele. Witness also, carefully, stored optimally and dis- greatest asset – and the cask, allowing the beer to clear. stride. It is as simple as ABC and in pubs of all qualities, specialised pensed perfectly. Cellar tempera- According to Richard Maison- many publicans earn their ABCQ, beer and food menus, recommend- ture is crucial, ideally 11 to 13C. at the same time its pierre, quality manager for re- Award in Beer Cellar Quality, an ing a citrusy hoppy India Pale Ale Hygiene and cleanliness are para- gional brewer Greene King: “Cask internationally recognised qualifi- with a spicy chicken salad. mount; after all, this is liquid food. greatest liability – are beer must pass the CATT test: cation accredited in the UK by the And as for our example of the Cask beer, with its natural credentials, Clarity - it must sparkle; Aroma – BII, the professional body for the three-deep-at-the-bar pub? Good is an exciting live product, if a touch the bar staff whose job is whether it is fruity, hoppy, malty, licensed retail sector. pubs attract repeat business; if in sensitive and so must be handled with it should fit the style; Tempera- Of course you cannot peer into doubt, a busy bar is a useful first TLC. This is where cellar craft comes to serve a great pint ture – must be served between 11 the cellar but good practice in the indication of beer served properly. 14 BEST OF BEER

Stars pulling the punters’ pints © James Curley/Rex Features

celebrity pubs There is something about running a mini-pub empire, clearly having Guy Ritchie the Dog & Duck in London’s Soho. Running a pub has long been a decided there is more of a future on runs the Her sudden enthusiasm for beer favourite second career for worn- a pub that appeals to stars of stage and screen. the serving side of the bar than on Punchbowl may not have been enough to save out footballers, particularly the Richard Brass goes celeb-spotting at hostelries the drinking-all-day-and-stagger- in London’s her marriage to Guy Ritchie, but ones who never quite made it to the ing-about side. Starting with his lo- Mayfair the relationship held together long top. The role has not traditionally up and down the country cal, the Ram’s Nest in Chiddingfold, enough for the two of them to take appealed as much to rugby players, Surrey, which he turned into the over the Punchbowl in Mayfair. Guy or at least not top-level ones, but Mulberry Inn, he has since added got the pub as part of their divorce that was before Lawrence Dallaglio, ext time you step into talented people who have made the Lickfold in Petworth, West Sus- settlement, and it has since become a brooding presence that could put a pub for a pint, take a their names in very different areas. sex, and the Newbridge in Tredun- something of a hang-out for related the wind up the sternest opposi- closer look at the land- Probably the biggest name of all nock, Monmouthshire. They are all celebs and celeb-spotters. But it also tion, decided to try his luck in the lord because the face to have turned his hand to the pub largely food-led establishments, but attracts fans of good traditional rough and tumble of the landlord- Nbehind the bar might ring a bell. game is Michael Parkinson. After that is only sensible when you have pubs, which is what, despite the up- ing business. The former England Traditionally, the landlord was a career in which he interviewed put your wild days behind you. market restaurant at the back, the captain is part-owner of the Have- likely to be an ordinary geezer, pretty much everyone worth in- occasional paparazzo outside and lock in Kensington, west London, somebody from one unobtrusive terviewing, and quite a few who MADONNA the complaints from the neighbours, a nice airy place in a quiet part of walk of life or another who had opt- were not, he took over the Royal One of the key moments in mak- the Punchbowl undoubtedly is. town and the boozer-of-choice for ed for the publican’s life in the mis- Oak outside Maidenhead in Berk- ing pubs cool among celebrities was Not quite at the Madonna-Guy many well-heeled locals. taken belief that it would be easy, shire, and turned it into a destina- probably five years ago when Ma- Ritchie level, in terms of celebrity Other, less familiar, celebrities lucrative and fun. But a new group tion pub for jazz-lovers and fans donna said her favourite drink was recognition but still a familiar face to are also making a respectable go of of initiates has recently joined the of Michael Parkinson. The walls of a half of Timothy Taylor Landlord at movie-goers, is Jason Flemyng, who it in the pub world. Andrea Cathe- ranks of the beer-dispensing frater- this fine place in the middle of no- featured in Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and rwood, former ITV news pre- nity and their faces are likely to be where are jammed with photos of Two Smoking Barrels and whose senter, runs the Carpenter’s Arms, far more familiar. Parky’s more legendary chat mates, performances since have included a successful and much-admired From superstar household the pub recently earned a Michelin From superstar appearing alongside Sean Connery gastro pub in Chiswick, west Lon- names to actors you would only star for the quality of its food and in The League of Extraordinary don. And Loui Batley and Simon recognise if you spent too much the man himself is frequently to be household names Gentlemen. Not wanting to be out- Lawson, young actors who have time watching soaps, a wave of found there, glass in hand, happy to done by his former director, Jason both recently lit up the TV screen celebrities are turning up behind exchange a few words with whoever to actors you would only has become one of the owners of the in Hollyoaks, have taken over the the bar. It is hard to say whether might have the courage. Duchess pub in Battersea in south- Princess Victoria, a great little local they are attracted by the financial Another convert to the pub game recognise if you spent too west London. Acting commitments on a busy road in London’s Earls uncertainty, the unsocial hours or from the interviewer’s chair or both here and in the United States Court. Fame clearly has not gone the need to throw the occasional thereabouts is Chris Evans, radio DJ much time watching soaps, mean he cannot get down to his pub to their heads, because they are of- over-exuberant customer into the and formerly renowned good-time as often as more leisured landlords ten to be found behind the pumps street. But something about run- boy. As well as having come over a wave of celebrities are like Parky, but he is there when he when a rush is on. And very wise ning a pub has become impossible all Radio 2 and respectable in his can be, and occasionally gets behind too; celebrity or not, you do not to resist for a growing variety of middle years, Chris has established turning up behind the bar the mike to host the quiz. keep a thirsty punter waiting. BEST OF BEER 15

spread the word of the Shape of beers to come finest brews on the plan- et. Ten years future Quality not quantity may be the future are truly blissful ago, your lo- beer drinking days in cal supermar- of beer as online drinkers discover varied tastes which we live. ket dictated from around the world. Ben MacFarland gazes Countries that were what you could once barren bland drink. Today, a into the crystal ball of brewing lands of brewing, such quick wander as Australia, Italy, Japan around the web and America, are now and you can have t first glance, beer’s glass Much of the credit for this home to fertile, thriving American India may look half empty. must go to regional breweries beer cultures while deep- Pale Ales, Japa- A Pubs are closing all over such as Fuller’s, Marston’s, Wells rooted beer-drinking na- nese abbey-style the place – around 150 every and Young’s, Shepherd Neame, St tions, such as Germany ales and Italian month – and people are drink- Austell and Greene King. Not only and Belgium, are enjoying barrel-aged beers ing less beer than ever before. You have they improved the quality and a new lease of life. delivered straight would be forgiven for thinking consistency of ale in casks, they From Portland to to your door. things are rather gloomy. have also innovated and introduced Prague and Munich to As long as con- But do not be fooled by the bean- new ales to lure drinkers across the Melbourne, talk of great Beer is sumers retain their counting doom-mongers, they have right-thinking Rubicon. beer is getting louder and frothing curiosity, as long as got it all wrong. For beer’s shiny What is more, new-world Brit- the breadth of choice is over with they keep on ques- tankard of optimism is not just half- ish brewers such as Thornbridge, growing wider. Old styles optimism tioning what they full, it is frothing over. The nation Meantime and Brewdog have are being revived and new drink and as long as now boasts more than 500 regional, helped British beer shed its socks styles are being discovered as brewers are exploring the past they continue on their micro and craft breweries. Super- and sandals, and seen it slip into but not getting stuck there. A new unwavering quest for quality not market shelves are sagging under something a lot more stylish and breed of brewmasters are using quantity, beers brewed with integ- the weight of fast-selling boutique contemporary. increasingly adventurous ingre- rity, passion and flavour will con- bottled beers while, in the nation’s But the UK is not alone, it is The internet will dients; they are borrowing tech- tinue to thrive. pubs, cask ale is in the midst of a part of a worldwide renaissance, niques from winemakers, distillers We may have been drinking remarkable revival and showing a global brewing revolution in continue to shrink the and chefs; art, science and history beer for more than 10,000 years, little sign of slowing down. It was which the old world and the new are being melded in the mash tun; but never has there been a bet- not long ago that critics were ham- are uniting in the boundary- world of beer and help and people the world over are ter time to be a beer drinker. So mering a nail in cask ale’s coffin but pushing pursuit of flavour and waking up to the joys of matching come, slide yourself on to the bar now, having recorded growth fig- taste. Broaden your beer hori- spread the word of the beer with food. stool of discovery and raise a glass ures for the first time in decades, the zons beyond British borders and The internet will continue to to beer’s dynamic and really rath- future is more bright than bleak. you will soon realise that these finest brews on the planet shrink the world of beer and help er wonderful future.

A pint of beer will actually supply as silicon, which may lower the Alcohol raises the amount of about 5 per cent of the body’s daily risk of osteoporosis. good blood cholesterol, which is Drink to your health protein needs, it has no cholesterol Beer is also low in sodium (salt) associated with lowering the risk of or fat and contains useful quanti- and high in potassium, a mineral that coronary heart disease. ties of soluble fibre. helps to control the balance of fluids But no one is claiming that health Drinking beer in moderation may be good For the weight conscious, beer in the body and possibly contributes drinking too much is good for has no more calories than a glass to controlling blood pressure. you. If you stay within sensible for the human spirit, but is it good for the body as of wine and a lot less than milk In addition, beer contains al- drinking guidelines, then you may well as the soul? Peter Archer investigates or apple juice. cohol which, when taken in small reap the rewards of all that beer According to a recent report, amounts, is thought to be a pro- contains; over that amount and backed by the Beer Academy, beer tective factor in a whole range the benefits start to decline and hat makes up a healthy and other products to an increased contains vitamins which can help of health issues. As well as type the risks increase. diet is a mishmash of con- risk of some forms of the disease. maintain a well-balanced, healthy 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and de- And, as the latest report points Wfusion and contradiction. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Cam- diet. It contains readily absorbed mentia, these include strokes, out, for some people – definitely The menu for good health and long paign for Real Ale (CAMRA) believe antioxidants, which may protect gallstones, and atherosclerosis, children, pregnant women and life seems to change every time a new that drinking moderate levels of beer against heart disease and some an inflammatory disease of the drivers – the only safe option is to piece of research hits the headlines. have beneficial health effects. cancers, as well as minerals, such blood vessel walls. avoid alcohol altogether. And it is the same with alcohol. Studies have shown that sensible So who should the sensible drinker drinking of one or two units a day believe when it comes to imbibing a can reduce the risk of heart disease, Prost... pint of beer? dementia, type 2 diabetes and Par- cheers for Of course, over indulgence does kinson’s Disease. German no one any good. But is a respon- Certainly, the ingredients of beer, beers and sible level of drinking beer actually including malted barley, hops and healthy beneficial to mind and body? yeast, are rich sources of vitamins ingredients Not so long ago, scientists in and minerals. Spain reported some cheering re- As the Beer Academy points out, in sults which they said showed that days past beer was known as “liquid a pint of beer was far better than bread”. Cereals are good for us and drinking water to rehydrate the beer is made from cereals, yet we often body after exercise. fail to make the healthy connection. So all those footballers and rugby players, enjoying a pint after the game, not to mention the beer lovers queuing at the bar after a workout in The ingredients of the gym, may be right after all. Researchers at Granada Universi- beer, including malted ty suspect that the sugars, salts and bubbles in a pint may help people barley, hops and yeast, are absorb fluids more quickly. The news will ease the worries of rich sources of vitamins those still digesting research from

cancer experts who linked alcohol and minerals Features © CPL Archv/Everett/Rex